At least 80 are dead, including dozens of summer camp kids, after unexpected flash floods ripped through Texas over the weekend.
The details: Late Thursday, torrential rain caused the Guadalupe River to overflow, causing widespread flooding into Friday. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed Sunday that 68 of the deaths occurred in Kerr County – 40 adults and 28 children.
Summer camp submerged: At Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp, five girls and the camp director were among the confirmed dead. Eleven campers and one counselor are still unaccounted for.
- Camp Mystic director Dick Eastland died while trying to save his campers
Federal response: President Trump wrote on Truth Social that he signed a disaster declaration “to ensure that our Brave First Responders immediately have the resources they need.”
Rescue efforts: More than 850 rescues were made across the region in 36 hours, with 366 conducted by air.
- DHS Secretary Kristi Noem singled out U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer and Petter Officer Scott Raskin, who “directly saved an astonishing 165 victims in the devastating flooding.”
Playing politics: Left-wing news outlets like the NY Times tried to blame the Trump administration’s cuts to the National Weather Service for the loss of life.
- Homeland Security debunked those accusations, posting a detailed timeline of events, showing it gave “12 hours of advance notice via the Flood Watch and over 3 hours of lead time for Flash Flood Warnings.”
The last word goes back to President Trump, who said: “These families are enduring an unimaginable tragedy, with many lives lost, and many still missing… GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!”
Rescue efforts are ongoing.